Achievement

Building off of her international internship in Vienna, Austria in 2009, IGERT student Kristen Brileya has given several presentations to diverse groups on the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in biofilms. Kristen specializes in studying syntrophic relationships among methanogens in biofilms, with a focus on physiological responses to various stressors. With methane being both a valuable source of energy as well as a notoriously potent greenhouse gas, an understanding of microbial communities involved in methane cycling is essential. Primary interest is focused on the growth rate, regulation, and structure of methanogenic biofilms. Kristen has presented this work to academic and industrial associates at the Montana Biofilm Meetings, July 2010 and February 2011; the Thermal Biology Institute, November 2010; International Society for Microbial Ecology, August 2010 and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories June 2010.